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Zendesk vs Crisp: Is EU's Privacy the Secure Choice?

Explore how Crisp, a French alternative, safeguards customer data with stringent EU privacy laws and security measures. Decide wisely for your business!

Last updated: February 1, 2026Reviewed by Built in EU Team

Should You Switch to Crisp?

What You Gain

Gain full GDPR compliance and better data protection in the EU.

Privacy advantage
Trade-offs

May lose advanced features like ticketing and call center support.

Zendesk has more features
Bottom Line

Switch if privacy is a priority and advanced features are not critical.

At a Glance

Data Location
🇺🇸US

US data laws

🇫🇷FR

GDPR protected

Pricing

Zendesk

paid

Crisp

freemium

Migration
Medium difficulty~2-3 days

Privacy & Compliance Comparison

Critical data sovereignty factors at a glance

CriteriaZendeskCrisp
Server Location
US (AWS), EU (optional)EU
GDPR Compliance
Partial (SCCs)Full
Open Source
E2E Encryption
Enterprise onlyOptional
Data Portability
Full exportFull export

CLOUD Act Notice

Zendesk is a US company and must comply with CLOUD Act data requests, even for data stored in EU data centers. Crisp is not subject to US jurisdiction.

Switching from
Zendesk logo

Zendesk

🇺🇸

Zendesk Inc.

VS
Switching to
Crisp logo

Crisp

🇫🇷

Crisp IM SARL

US Data Storage

Data subject to US CLOUD Act and may be accessed by US authorities

EU Data Protection

Data protected under GDPR with EU-only data residency

Certifications & Compliance

No certifications listed

GDPR Compliant
EU-Based
EU-hosted

Reasons to Switch

  • Crisp offers a free tier, reducing initial costs for small teams.
  • GDPR compliance ensures data protection for EU customers.
  • Crisp's shared inbox allows team collaboration on customer queries.
  • Crisp's chatbot builder enables 24/7 automated customer support.

Things to Consider

  • !Zendesk's ticketing system is more advanced than Crisp's features.
  • !Migration from Zendesk may require significant data transfer efforts.
  • !Crisp lacks built-in call center features present in Zendesk.
Migration difficulty:
Medium
~2-3 days

Migration Overview

Full guide
Difficulty
Medium
Time Estimate
~2-3 days

Depends on data size and complexity

Quick Steps

1

Create Crisp account and configure settings

2

Export and prepare data from Zendesk

3

Import data, test integrations, and migrate users

Note: Crisp offers strong live chat and chatbot features but may lack some advanced ticketing capabilities compared to Zendesk.

Other alternatives to Zendesk

Ready to make the switch?

Start using Crisp today and take control of your data privacy.